Aches of the Heart
by chefscoob
Summary: It's time to act on a change of the heart. Unfortunately, changes aren't always easy, or painless. Set after Season 5, Torren is sick, John is kidnapped. Can Atlantis find him in time? J/T All of the wonderful characters that aren't mine will appear. I just borrow them..from time to time.
1. Chapter 1

Aches of the Heart

"We've been waiting for this trading mission for weeks now," said Colonel Sheppard. "You should know all about it Rodney."

"I just feel that my many other talents would be better used elsewhere for the many hours it's going to take to complete the renewal of the trade agreement," Rodney McKay countered.

The guys were walking into the conference room in order to meet Teyla, Ronon, and Mr. Woolsey to go over the details of the mission for the trade agreement set for later in the day. The Pletons, a culture that the Athosians had introduced them to their first year in Atlantis, were expecting them for the annual renewal, which usually took a few hours to complete.

"Guess I'll just have to eat enough of their near roast pork for the both of us then," John sighed as they took their seats.

"When do we leave again?" Rodney asked, completely missing the look Sheppard gave him as Ronon walked in.

"Thought you were too busy McKay?"

"I am, however, the programs I am currently running could possibly greatly enhance our ability to utilize the ZPM with Earth technologies while also decreasing the power consumption, but I still have to eat, don't I?" Rodney replied.

Ronon and John just shook their heads with laughter as Woolsey walked in and preceded to the front of the conference room. Teyla hastily entered behind him.

Everyone began to settle down and get quiet so the meeting could begin. When the discussion about the impending process was complete, the meeting was soon concluded.

"I will not be able to join you this evening for the duration of the mission to Pleton. Torren is sick and I feel that it is best if I were to stay with my son during his time of need," Teyla informed the men in the room.

"Is he alright?' John asked concern clear in his voice.

"He will be fine," she stated," I was informed by Jennifer that it was nothing more than a bad cold but that it was affecting him more than normal for a child his age."

"I'm glad it's nothing serious. The only problem is the Pletons require a representative of Athos to be included in the proceedings," John stated.

"There are no worries. Since Torren has been sick, he has wanted to spend very little time with anyone but his mother. Kanaan has readily agreed to take my place. He has been there before and h knows the people, the customs. He knows what to expect, and what is expected."

"Okay, if you're sure…"

"I am sure."

"Alright. We'll be leaving in three hours," John stated.

"I will be sure to inform Kanaan," she replied.

"I believe we have discussed everything that is needed at this time. Be sure to include their near roast pork, as you call it, in the trade agreement. Have a safe journey," Woolsey stated as he concluded the meeting.

As everyone got up to leave, John quickly followed Teyla out.

"Hey, Teyla, is everything okay? I know what you said Keller told you, but I just wanted to make sure you're certain everything is fine."

Teyla smiled tiredly as she answered, "He has been extremely cranky lately and has not been able to sleep very well the past few nights. He was extremely exhausted this morning and there has been times when he has done nothing but cough. His nose has been running a lot and he has been suffering from fevers averaging 100 to 102. Jennifer says all we can do is continue with the current regimen we are following and try to keep him as comfortable as possible until he gets well. Jennifer did take a blood sample just to make sure that there was nothing else for concern. He has become very clingy the past few days, which I am assured is usual for children his age who are sick. All I want to do is comfort my child while he is ill and all I can do is be there for him," she replied. "Kanaan and I have been trying to comfort him the past few days, all he seems to do is cry."

John stopped walking down the corridor and turned to face her. He took a good look at her while he contemplated what she had said. He could see traces of tiredness she must be feeling; he knew she hid it well. But coupled with the long explanation she had just given, which she usually didn't do, he knew she was exhausted.

"Let me take him for a couple of hours and let you take time to at least get some food in peace," he offered.

She looked skeptical at his proposal.

"Besides, it would give you and Kanaan an opportunity to go over the specifics of the agreement one last time. And it might also help Torren with a change of scenery."

"Ok," she replied at his pleading look. "But only for a couple of hours, as you have to leave soon."

Twenty minutes later, John found himself walking the halls with a fussy Torren towards his room.

"You're mom wasn't kidding when she said you were fussy, did she?" The baby looked entirely miserable and John felt bad for the little guy. When Torren coughed for the third time, followed by red rimmed watery eyes, John thought of a possible helpful solution and took a quick exit out to a nearby balcony.

"How about some fresh air?" John asked the baby as the doors closed behind them. As soon as the baby felt the sun shine down on him, there was an automatic change. He seemed to calm and brighten in John's arms. He sat the bag down on the bench, his body quickly following.

Torren started to fuss again and rubbed his eyes like he was tired. John glanced up and happened to see a rainbow and pointed it out to the young child. The boy calmed down while John talked to him about rainbows. As soon as the man stopped talking to the child, he began to fuss again. So John began to just talk to the child, telling him about his day – breakfast with Rodney, his training with Ronon, his worry of Torren….and Teyla. Every time he stopped talking, the baby would begin to fuss. He found he soon ran out of things to talk about. When nothing else came to mind, he began to sing the only songs he knew. He sang through Johnny Cash's " _Ring of Fire"_ and he started on _"Sunday Morning"_ when he realized Torren's breathing had evened out. When he looked down up the child, he was sound asleep. Careful not to wake the sleeping child, he gently moved him into a more comfortable position lying on his chest.

When Teyla walked out onto the balcony over two hours later, she found both man and child fast asleep. Even with her worries, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't want to wake either one, but she knew John was already going to be late and she had no choice. She gently tapped John on the arm to wake him. As his eyes fluttered open, he grinned up at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, must have fallen asleep."

"So I see," she said playfully. "You are going to be late for departure." She said after she gave him a moment to fully awaken.

"Crap." He said as he tried to sit up straight with a sleeping Torren on his chest.

"I apologize. My discussion with Kannan went longer than I anticipated and then I could not find you in your room."

"Why didn't you try calling me? I would have met you somewhere to make your trip easier."

"I did. You never answered. I was beginning to worry, but now I see there was no need."

He looked at her quizzically when she replied. He reached up to check his ear wig when he realized it was no longer there. He happed to look down on the ground next to the bench and saw it.

"Well, that explains why I didn't hear you call. I'm sorry to have worried you. Torren must have knocked it off."

"Think nothing of it," she assured him as she reached down to pick it up for him. She handed him his earwig and waited for him to put it back in place before reaching for Torren. As he handed the baby back to his mother, he saw sadness in her eyes, a sadness he had not noticed earlier in the day. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was alright, but she beat him to it.

"You must hurry if you do not wish to be later than you already are going to be," she reminded him.

He quickly rose from the bench, somehow scraping his finger on the underside of the armrest as he rose. He grimaced when he felt the pain.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he answered," just caught my finger on something. It's fine," he replied as he brought his finger up to see the scratch. He quickly reached down and retrieved the bag from the bench and handed it to her so she wouldn't have to lean down with the sleeping baby.

"Thank You."

"You're welcome. See you when we get back," he replied as he caressed sleeping baby's face.

"Safe journey. I shall see you when you return."

With those last words they quickly went their separate ways down the corridor. John headed towards the armory to quickly get his things for the mission, while promising himself to check back with Teyla upon their return. There was something about that look in her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

As they stepped through the wormhole onto the Pleton home world, they could smell the near roast pork cooking in the distance. With no reason to be wary, they began the journey to the main village. On the way there, they could hear the water flowing rapidly downstream to the waterfall the Pletons had shown them a few years before. They were only slightly too far away for the men to discern they crashing of the water on the rocks below. John knew from his visit to the waterfall that it held a spectacular view of the countryside.

They reached the village pretty quickly, considering how far away it was, and were immediately met by Lenand- the leader of the Pletons.

"So good again to see you, Colonel Sheppard," Leland said as he nodded his head toward the Colonel, "Ronon Dex, Dr. McKay, Kanaan it has been so long."

"Yes, my friend. It has been too long," Kanaan replied.

"Perhaps there will be opportunity time to visit after negotiations renewal."

"I look forward to doing so," Kanaan replied to his longtime friend.

"If you will follow me, we already have the meeting area set up to take advantage of the wonderful afternoon shine and breeze." Leland explained as he led them through the town to the tables already set up a short distance away from the cooking fires.

As they walked through the village, the team could see the people out and bout doing the daily activities while a few were tending the fires and cooking pots for the after negation meal. Kanaan and Leland walked ahead, making small talk and no doubt doing some catching up while they walked. The Pletons had small villages spread throughout. This village, being the largest, had the most villagers and a person who could speak for all villages, Leland. Atlantis usually traded medical supplies and help with the harvests in exchange for parts of the crops that were needed to sustain the Atlantis personnel. The expectations for today's negotiations were no different.

They all found their places around the table to join the few other Pletons that always sat with them to finalize the negotiations for each of the other villages. The negotiations went smoothly, with only slight issues that had to be worked out for each particular village. However, the negotiations did take a little longer than originally anticipated, which would put the team later returning home than planned. So, instead of rushing through the negotiation dinner, which was also known to take a while, John decided that it would be better to contact Atlantis and inform them of the delay. That way, they would not worry Woolsey.

Ronon had been pulled away from the group by young adults eager to learn how to protect themselves and Rodney had decided to go with one of the villagers to go ahead and take a look at the village well to determine what he could do to increase the output of the water, or if the village needed a new well. So John decided to go check in with Atlantis. Leland was busy with the final arrangements for the banquet, leaving Kanaan to join the Colonel on the trek.

Sheppard could tell Kanaan had joined him for a reason, instead of staying back at the village, but could not figure out what the reason might be. Not knowing how to make small talk with a man he never really interacted with before, John decided to walk in peace and give the guy an opportunity to begin a conversation on his own. They were nearly halfway to the Stargate when he did.

"Do you believe that we negotiated for everything that was needed?" Kanaan asked of John. - effectively breaking the silence between the two as they walked.

"I believe that we covered everything that was on the list, and then some," Sheppard replied.

"It's just that I have not been through a lengthy negotiation in quite some time and wanted to ensure that I completed it properly" Kanaan explained.

"I believe that you could have given Teyla a run for her money today." John replied, completely forgetting that the other man would not get the reference.

"A run for her money?" Kanaan asked quizzically.

"You could have matched her in your skills today."

"That is a very unique way of stating that fact."

"It's a metaphor used on Earth to compare like actions."

"Oh. Okay," Kanaan answered, honestly sounding intrigued by Earth culture. "Speaking of Teyla, there is something that I believe you should know," he said, completely changing the subject. "While you kept Torren so kindly for us, we had a discussion." He continued until he was interrupted by the sound of close gunfire.

"Run!" John exclaimed as a bullet grazed his arm while he turned to push Kanaan to their right into the nearby woods, in the opposite direction as the fire was coming from.

John could hear their pursuers behind them and encouraged Kanaan to pick up the pace. The Colonel helped to steady Kanaan as he stumbled over a root. John was careful to keep himself between the other man and their pursuers, wherever they might be. A few steps later, a limb slipped past Kanaan, knocking John in the face as they ran, causing him to break his stride as he fell. John saw Kanaan turn to look back and heard another shot just before he was back on his feet and pushing Kanaan through the forest again. Even though the Colonel had his P90 and was firing behind them to distract the gunmen, he knew his first priority was to get Kanaan to safety. He didn't want to imagine Teyla's face if something happened to Kanaan while he was responsible.

At his first opportunity, John reached for the radio on his vest. "Ronon! McKay!"

No answer.

"Ronon! McKay! Come in!"

AS he was calling for his team, he was glancing back behind himself and Kanaan to try to keep track of the distance between them and their pursuers. As he turned this time, he felt the impact of a bullet hitting his vest right where his radio was. He stumbled from the impact, and if it was not for the adrenaline running through is body, he would have fallen. With the impact, he realized that the weapons used weren't as high caliber and forceful as the one's he was used to, unfortunately, it also took out their only means of communication since he lost his earwig when the limb hit him in the face earlier.

The guys were running as hard as they could through the woods when all of a sudden the view opened up and Kanaan disappeared from view. Sheppard came to an abrupt stop. Two feet in front of him was a drop off that Kanaan must have fallen down. He quickly lay down on his stomach to look over the side.

"Kanaan!" he exclaimed as he looked over the edge.

"I am here," came the reply as Kanaan looked up at him from the side of the cliff that he hung to precariously.

"Hold on, I'll pull you up!" Sheppard exclaimed as he undid his P-90 from his vest to help use to reach the man.

"NO!" came the reply. "There is a ledge below that I can land on."

"But we have to keep moving."

"I cannot run anymore."

That's when Sheppard got his first good look at the man since their mad dash began. From his perspective, he could see the other man clearly now. There were small scratches on his face and the one arm he was hanging on the small bush by. The other arm hung limpet his side, covered in what could only be blood and his face was pale. After quick and careful consideration, especially with how he himself already felt, Sheppard agreed that the other man would not make it much further.

"Okay. Where is this ledge of yours and can you get there by yourself?"

"It is over just to my left. And, no, I cannot."

"Alright. We need to hurry." He grabbed his P-90 and put the strap around his wrist so that there would be weight on the other end to pull it towards Kanaan. "I can't help you grab it, but once you get ahold I'm going to swing you over to where you said the ledge was."

John hated to do it that way, but saw no choice given the steepness of the drop there was no way he could get down to where Kanaan was safely himself.

"How far to your left?"

"About half my foots length out of my way."

"Ok. As soon as you grab it, I'm going to swing you over."

"Alright."

"I can't see the ledge, so I hope we get it right in the first try."

"I do as well. I ask one thing before we do."

"Sure. But we have to be quick." John could hear their chasers getting closer through the forest.

"Let her know how you feel," and with that cryptic request, Kanaan grabbed ahold of the P-90 with his bad arm long enough to get a grip with his other hand. Sheppard had no time to think as the weight of the other man pulled on his arm. He went to swing the man over to where he had been informed the ledge was when he began slipping over the edge as well. Trying to push himself backwards with his other arm, his foot found a root to catch onto to stop his forward travel. This led to a quick jerk on his arm that held Kanaan, he felt a pop in his wrist, felt the intense pain, and knew that his wrist was now either dislocated or broken. IT was a bittersweet relief when the added pressure of holding the other man was no longer pulling on his arm.

He thought he heard the other man land on the edge, but he wasn't sure, as the ledge was easily hidden from the top of the cliff.

"Kanaan!" he called.

"I am here," he heard the faint reply.

He backed up away from the side of the cliff and was in the process of getting up as quickly as he could when there was a pain in his side that sent him reeling.

"Colonel Sheppard, I presume."

"Depends," came the raspy reply as John moved into a position where he could see the assailants around him.

"I'll take that as a yes," came the sarcastic reply from the man standing five feet in front of him dressed in a Genii uniform. "Where's your team mate?"

His only answer was silence.

The man gestured to two others in the group of five, who quickly walked over and grabbed John's arms to pull him up into a kneeling position.

"Where's your team mate?"

"What team mate?"

"The one you were running away from us with."

"He fell over the side, you sorry bastard!" John spat vehemously.

The man nodded at another of his henchmen who went and looked over the side of the cliff. When the man looked back up from the cliff edge, he nodded a negative to the leader.

"I don't really care about your friend. You're the only one I want." The leader stated as he walked up towards John. All Sheppard could see was something black in the guy's hand before he whipped it back and struck John across the side of the head. And he saw nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

I want to apologize for the long delay for this chapter. I expected it to be longer, but it never worked out the way that I wanted it to. I would have excluded it completely, but I felt it needed to be included.

After leaving John to go prepare for the mission, Teyla decided to take the sleeping baby to her quarters to try and lay him down in his crib. As she was walking down the corridor – not really watching where she was going- she was thinking about her discussion with Kanaan. She was saddened at the course of action that they were taking, but not as much as she thought she would be. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was past time for these decisions to be made. Rounding the corner of the hallway leading to the personnel quarters, she nearly collided with Dr. Keller coming from the other direction.

"Oh, Jennifer, I am so sorry," Teyla said apologetically to the other woman.

"It's okay Teyla, It's not your fault. I wasn't watching where I was going," Jennifer Keller assured her.

"I wasn't watching where I was going, either," Teyla admitted. Jennifer got a good look at Teyla and could tell something was troubling her friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Talk about what?" Teyla asked, clearly confused.

"Whatever seems to be troubling you. I can see in your face that something is clearly on your mind and it seems to be troubling you."

"I do not want to appear to be rude, but no. I would not like to discuss what is bothering me. " Teyla said, looking even more upset.

"Hey, Teyla," Jennifer started while placing her hand on Teyla's arm. "It's ok. I just wanted to help you feel better. But, I completely understand not wanting to talk about it. Whatever it is, you might need to work through it yourself first, before telling anyone else. How about this, if you ever need to talk about, you know how to find me." She ended with a smile so that her friend would understand she was not mad.

"Thank you so much, Jennifer." Teyla said, looking a little relieved.

"I'm headed to the mess hall. Would you like to join me? I know how much you enjoy a cup of tea," Jennifer teased.

Teyla looked longingly down the hallway towards her quarters, but then decided that a little company might be better than being alone with her thoughts just yet. "Yes. A cup of tea sounds wonderful right now."

The ladies made their way to the mess hall, Torren still sleeping quietly in his mother's arms. When they walked through the doors, Jennifer let Teyla know that she would get her tea for her while Teyla found a place for them to sit. Teyla found an empty table at the back of the mess hall and waited for Jennifer to join her. She got comfortable in the chair and carefully set the baby's bag down in the chair next to her. Jennifer wasted no time in going through the line and quickly joined Teyla at the table.

"So," Jennifer stated as she gently set Teyla's tea down in front of her friend, "is he sleeping any better since yesterday?" She asked, referring the still sleeping baby.

"Not really. This is the longest he has slept in days. "

"That's good. Maybe it means that he is finally getting the rest he needs to get better."

"I hope so."

"why don't you bring him by the infirmary this afternoon and we can go over his test results. I can call you when I get them back, I expect them within a couple hours."

"I shall be there."

"Good, in the meantime, …." Dr. Keller's sentence dragged as the two ladies sat companionably and discussed nonconsequential information regarding rumors going around the base before they both went their separate ways. Dr. Keller felt that her goal was completed when Teyla was laughing during their conversation and explained to her, very vaguely, what was troubling her. Keller was secretly pleased with the information as it was something that she had already been suspicious of.


End file.
